


it was always us

by ingelicrain



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Childhood Friends, Eventual James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingelicrain/pseuds/ingelicrain
Summary: "We could just be friends," Lily offered. "Instead of fighting all the time.""Friends with a girl?" James couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice. Lily let her hand fall down, frowning. "Or not," she said, turning away."Wait!" James grabbed her hand, suddenly panicked. It was nice, having someone to play with for a change. "We can be friends.""Pinky swear?""Yeah, whatever. Pinky swear."orthe ups and down of Lily and James's (eventual and grudging) friendship





	it was always us

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea that started a long time ago, when I read a one shot on fanfiction.net with the same plot. Unfortunately, I was an idiot who didn't understand the meaning of favoriting a story, so I can't find it now. I'm thinking of using a scene I remember from their story, and I'll be sure to tell when I do, so if anyone does know it, please let me know so I can credit the author.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> inga

“Mum,” James whined, “why?”

“I’ve explained already, James, and I’m not doing it again,” Euphemia Potter snapped, finally losing her patience. “We’ve wanted to move to a Muggle neighborhood forever, it’s closer to work, and it will be good for you to meet some Muggles and make friends with them. Being a wizard isn’t everything, you know.”

James allows the tiniest grin to slip out. “You said you wouldn’t explain again but you did.”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake. Fleamont!” Euphemia said, raising her voice. “We need to get going!”

“Yes, dear,” Fleamont said, huffing and raising his hand triumphantly. There was a glint of silver in his clenched fist. “I found the keys!”

“Where were they?” Euphemia asked, closing the trunk and rounding the car to the passenger side. 

Fleamont ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly. “They were in the oven. Must have misplaced them sometime yesterday.” James watched as Euphemia snuck a suspicious glance at her son, but decided not to say anything. He opened the backseat car door and shuffled inside, slamming the car door shut on his way. It was worth it, he supposed, to hide the keys in the oven, even if it only delayed them by an hour. 

The ride to Cokeworth was silent. At some point, James asked his father if he could open the windows, claiming car sickness. He knew how much open windows irritated his mother. Euphemia, however, was determined to stay cheerful. After a few minutes of whooshing wind, Euphemia said to her son, “I know you’ll like it, Jamsie. It’ll be fun, won’t it, to meet new people and make new friends?” to which James did not reply. 

Leaving Godric’s Hollow was not much of a problem for him, especially since he had no friends there anyway. It was the idea that he would be forced to stay below the fence and only when the neighbors were out when he wanted to ride his broom, or that he couldn’t play tricks on the Muggles when they came over because they were just that - Muggles. The house elf, Gwinn, would not be able to clean their house for fear of Muggles seeing them, which meant he would have to start cleaning and doing chores all on his own, whichhis mother was entirely too happy about. He would have to be careful about his accidental magic, lest he attracted attention. Essentially, James would be cut off from magic, or at least doing magic openly, until he went to Hogwarts, which was two whole years away.

And so he gave his parents the silent treatment, which, he figured, was proper punishment.

\----------------

Euphemia glanced in the backseat, where James was steadfastly looking out the open back window. The awful noise bothered her ears, but it was a small price to pay for James being quiet. Over the past few days, he’d tailed Euphemia everywhere, asking again and again why they had to move, and when he would be able to fly, and if he would be able to play magic tricks on the neighbors. He’d refused to pack, even his clothes, which Gwinn could not touch until the very last minute, even when Euphemia threatened to cut off all his hair and make him bald, knowing how vain James was about his hair. It was not an empty threat - Euphemia had cut his hair very close to his scalp, because a threat was a threat, and she had to follow through, but still James had not cowed, and Euphemia had been forced to pack for him. She looked forward to moving to Cokesworth, though, to the cozy little cottage they’d bought with its ivy covered stone walls and round chimney. It would be good for all of them.

\----------------

“Here we are,” Fleamont said, gesturing to the house with a flourish. “Eight Dunscore Road, Cokeworth. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Sure,” James said with disinterest, momentarily forgetting his vow to be silent. “Can I go see who’s next door?”

“No,” Euphemia said, getting out of the car. “You can do that when you finish unpacking, and not a moment earlier. You won’t go out to play, either, or I’ll have the rest of your hair shaved.”

“Yes, Mum,” James said, sighing. It was worth a try. “Do I get to choose my room?”

“You do,” Euphemia said, smiling at the boy. He seemed to perk up a little bit with that. “Go ahead, then, and tell us which one you like best.”

“So I can have the master bedroom, then?” James said, grinning. Euphemia give him a face, and he runs into the house after Fleamont. “Merlin, that child,” Euphemia murmurs, heaving a box out of the trunk.


End file.
